1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of folding cartons, and more specifically, to a multi-compartment folding carton which may be made from a single blank of folding carton stock. In the most preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a folding carton including four compartments, each generally square in cross-section, suitable for packaging a plurality of articles, such as golf balls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous containers are known in the art for packaging multiple products, such as golf balls. One such product is disclosed in Olson, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,548 issued Sep. 3, 1991 and entitled "Stacking Ball Carton, Blank And Method". The carton described in this patent is adapted for holding golf balls in four stacks of three each, and is designed to replace the more well-known system of individual sleeves of three balls contained in a covered tray. The prior conventional package causes considerable waste of board resulting in increased manufacturing costs and, in these days of environmental concerns, the utilization of more board than is required to adequately package the product. In the Olson, et al. carton, complicated strut and panel structures are provided and the initial set-up of the carton begins by folding the panels and struts and gluing them in such a way that two undivided sleeves are formed. Utilizing a series of cutouts and additional folds, the two halves of the partially set-up carton are then folded along a score line, and flaps pass through openings to provide dividers between the individual sleeve areas to form four elongate compartments. The patent also describes several closure techniques and providing windows at one or more areas of the carton so that a user can see the contents.
While the Olson, et al. container provides a multi-compartment chamber suitable for packaging objects such as golf balls, it suffers from several disadvantages in connection with the preparation of the initial blank and in connection with the set-up of the carton itself. The intricacies of the set-up operation are readily appreciated by reference to FIGS. 4-8 of that patent. Moreover, the relatively narrow glue areas do not provide a device with suitable structural rigidity, and the dividers themselves are not full-length and uninterrupted as would be desirable for some applications.
Several other multi-compartment cartons are described in other patents. For example, see Hennessey Canadian Patent No. 753,118 issued Feb. 21, 1967 and entitled "Compartmented Carton". This device is a three compartment carton prepared from a single blank. Note also the "Compartmental Box" described in Porter U.S. Pat. No. 2,888,185 issued May 26, 1959.
Based on the foregoing description of certain prior art patents, it can be readily appreciated that while multi-compartment cartons are known, the need exists for compartmentalized cartons which are easy to assemble and which use a minimum amount of board. Moreover, the need exists for multi-compartment cartons wherein the dividers for the compartments extend substantially the length of the carton to provide structural integrity for the final assembled carton. Furthermore, the need exists for multi-compartment cartons which can be adapted to a variety of products.